Gasification of coal

G-L01-2
Dr hab. in. Marek ciko
Prof. nadzw.

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Thermal conversion procesess

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Marketplace for coal gasification

Emergence of CO2emissions as an issue in the selection of technology for

the power industry. Carbon Capture and Storage/Sequestration (CCS)
getting more serious consideration.
Many environmental groups supportive of IGCC over PC (with CCS) for its
environmental attributes but without much understanding of the effects of
design variations and coal types on the cost of CCS and a competitive Cost
of Electricity (COE)
In the power industry IGCC is generally perceived as not yet fully
commercially proven, whereas capture of CO2 from coal gasification
derived syngas, via the shift reaction (CO + H2O = CO2+ H2) and
subsequent CO2 removal is commercially mature. In contrast PC plants are
fully commercially proven but post combustion CO2capture from PC plants
is not proven at the scale needed for deployment.
Without consideration of capture the COE from currently offered IGCC with
bituminous coals has mostly been evaluated as being 10-20% greater than
the COE from PC plants. That margin is greater with low rank coals such as
PRB and lignite. Both margins may be reduced with increased IGCC
commercial deployment.
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Marketplace for chemicals

The high price of natural gas has made syngas from coal or
petroleum residuals more attractive for chemical synthesis
(Ammonia, Methanol, DME, olefins)
The even higher price of crude oil has prompted serious
consideration of gasification of low value fossil resources (remote
gas GTL, Coal CTL) to provide syngas for the synthesis of liquid
transportation fuels via the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) technology. For
CTL economies of scale are important and larger gasifiers to match
the syngas requirements of large F-T reactors are highly desirable.
F-T reactors of 10,000-20,000 bbl/d size require gasification of
6,000-12,000 tons/day of typical bituminous coal.
The emergence of a 50 Hz IGCC market in Europe and Asia based
on low value feedstocks and fuels. Larger gasifiers (factor 1.4) will
also be needed to match the larger size 50 Hz gas turbines. Even
larger gas turbines (GE 9H, Siemens 6000G and 8000H) may
require gasification capacity of 4000 tpd of bituminous coal
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History of development 1940-1980

Modern gasification began in the 1930s with the development
of large scale cryogenic air separation units for low cost
oxygen Lurgi dry ash - moving bed gasifier for high-pressure
methane (CH4) rich town gas
Winkler - fluid bed gasifier for low-pressure syngas (H2 & CO)
Koppers-Totzek (K-T) entrained flow gasifier for low-pressure
syngas
Choice of Lurgi dry ash gasification for Sasol CTL & Great
Plains SNG (now Dakota Gasification) in 1970s reflected:
Timing - required commercially well-proven pressurized
gasification
Feedstock - high moisture, ash & ash fusion temperature low rank
coal
Application - high direct CH4 make for SNG & F-T makes CH4
anyway
Integration - Lurgi cannot use fine - needed large PC boilers
anyway
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Modern gasifiers development

Commercial gasifiers all high-pressure, O2-blown, entrained flow

Texaco, now GE, first oil/NG in 60s & then coal water slurry gasifier Eastman Chemical next Cool Water & Polk County IGCC demos
Shell (like Texaco first oil/NG) with Krupp-Koppers on pressurized dry
coal feed gasifier - Buggenum & Puertollano European IGCC demos
E-Gas, Dow then Destec, now ConocoPhillips- coal water slurry &
twostage gasifier - Plaquemine subbit & Wabash coke/bit coal IGCC
demos
Oil shocks of 1970s led to funding of many other gasifiers some finally
moving toward large-scale commercial status now

Moving bed - British Gas Lurgi (BGL) Slagger

Fluid beds - RWE/Rheinbraun HTW + Southern/KBR transport reactor
Entrained flow - GSP: coal via Siemens/Future Energy & oil/NG via Lurgi
MPG + Japanese enriched air (MHI) & O2 (J-Power) blown gasifiers
ECUST multi burner technology developed by China

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Worldwide existing gasification

technologies

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Total capacity of gasifiers versus fuel

used (current and forecast by 2016

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Total capacity of gasifiers versus product

manufactured (current and forecast by 2016)

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Total capacity of reactors using coal as the main

fuel, breakdown by technological groups
(current and forecast by 2016)

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 Of the technologies used for coal gasification in

entrained flow reactors (operating plants), the Shell (dry
feeding) and GE/Texaco (slurry feeding) have the
dominant share in gas production (77 %), followed by the
ECUST OMB Opposed multi-burner (15.3 %)
technology.
The third place position of the use of ECUST (East
China University of Science and Technology) technology
in developing plants is noteworthy because of the rapid
pace of the ECUST OMB technology development.
Beginning with a pilot plant (22 t/d of fuel) in 1996, the
technology led to operational demonstration plants in the
years 2001 2005 (750 and 1,150 t/d of coal) and 17
commercial gasifiers that were implemented by 2010
(capacity of up to 2,000 t/d of coal).
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Gasification a viable energy

alternative

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Fuel flexibility

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Basic Block Flow Diagram

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Gasification reactions
Gasification with Oxygen
C + 1/2 O2
CO

Coal

Combustion with Oxygen

C + O2
CO2
Gasification with Carbon Dioxide
C + CO2
2CO

Oxygen

Gasification with Steam

C + H2O
CO + H2
Gasification with Hydrogen
C + 2H2
CH4

Steam

Water-Gas Shift
CO + H2O
H2 + CO2

Gasifier Gas
Composition
(Vol %)
H2
CO
CO2
H2O
CH4

25 - 30
30 - 60
5 - 15
2 - 30
0-5

H2S
0.2 - 1
COS
0 - 0.1
N2
0.5 - 4
Ar
0.2 - 1
NH3 + HCN 0 -0.3
Ash/Slag/PM

Methanation
CO + 3H2
CH4 + H2O
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Process configuration

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Basic Block Flow Diagram for

Chemical Plant

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Gasification for hydrogen and

power

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Selexol two step process

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Gasification for methanol

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Fischer Tropsch synthesis

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Process diagrams of hydrogen production

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Process diagram of methanol production

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Process diagrams of liquid fuel production

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Gasification reactors
Moving Bed

Entrained Flow

Fluidized Bed

Transport
Gasifier
Top

Product
Gas,
Ash

Transport
Gasifier

Coal, Char

Recycle, Gas

Coal,
Sorbent or
Inert

Recycle Drive
Gas

Steam,
Oxygen
or Air

Gasifier
Bottom
0

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500

1000

1500

2000

2500

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Raw gas composition

Skadniki gazu
CO2
CO
H2
N2 + Ar
CH4
CnHm
H2S + COS

Typ reaktora
zoe stae fluidalne
S - przepywowe - M
29.7
20
2
20
18.9
40
66
42
39.1
35
28
36
4.3
2
4
2
7
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
zaley od zawartoci siarki w weglu

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Desirable Syngas Characteristics for

Different Applications

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Classification of gas cleaning

processes

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Typical separation efficiencies

of gas cleaning systems

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Overview of wet scrubber types

and their characteristics

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Multi-layer filter candle

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Hydrogen

Hydrogen is currently produced in large quantities via steam reforming of

hydrocarbons over a Ni catalyst at ~800oC. This process produces a
syngas that must be further processed to produce high-purity hydrogen. The
syngas conditioning required for steam reforming is similar to that which
would be required for a biomass gasification derived syngas; however, tars
and particulates are not as much of a concern. To raise the hydrogen
content, the product syngas is fed to one or more water gas shift (WGS)
reactors, which convert CO to H2 via the reaction:

The gas stream leaving the first WGS stage has a CO content of about 2%;
in a second stage this is reduced further to about 5000 ppm.

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Methanol
Commercial methanol synthesis involves
reacting CO, H2, and steam over a
copper-zinc oxide catalyst in the presence
of a small amount of CO2 at a temperature
of about 260oC and a pressure of about
70 bar. The methanol synthesis reaction
isequilibrium controlled, and excess
reactants (CO and H2) must be recycled
to obtain economic yields.
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 The formation of methanol from synthesis gas proceeds

via the watergas- shift reaction and the hydrogenation of
carbon dioxide:

Methanol production also occurs via direct

hydrogenation of CO, but at a much slower rate

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 To best use the raw product syngas in methanol

synthesis and limit the extent of further syngas treatment
and steam reforming, it is essential to maintain:
A H2/CO of at least 2
A CO2/CO ratio of about 0.6 to prevent catalyst
deactivation and keep the catalyst in an active
reduced state
Low concentrations of N2, CH4, C2+, etc. to prevent
the build up of inerts within the methanol synthesis
loop
Low concentrations of CH4 and C2+ to limit the need
for further steam reforming.

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Synthetic FT Fuels
Synthetic fuels such as gasoline and diesel can be
produced from synthesis gas via the Fischer-Tropsch
(FT) process. There are several commercial FT plants in
South Africa producing gasoline and diesel, both from
coal and natural gas, and a single plant in Malaysia
feeding natural gas. The FT synthesis involves the
catalytic reaction of H2 and CO to form hydrocarbon
chains of various lengths (CH4, C2H6, C3H8, etc.). The
FT synthesis reaction can be written in the general form:

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 where m is the average chain length of the hydrocarbons

formed, and n equals 2m+2 when only paraffins are
formed, and 2m when only olefins are formed. Iron
catalyst has water-gas-shift (WGS) activity, which
permits use of low H2/CO ratio syngas.
Gasifier product gases with a H2/CO ratio around 0.5 to
0.7 is recommended as a feed to the FT process when
using iron catalyst. The WGS reaction adjusts the ratio to
match requirements for the hydrocarbon synthesis and
produce CO2 as the major by-product.
On the other hand, cobalt catalysts do not have WGS
activity, and the H2 to CO ratio required is then (2m +
2)/m. Water is the primary by-product of FT synthesis
over a cobalt catalyst.
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Trends of coal gasification technology

development

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Entrained bed gasifiers

GEE Texaco Gasifier

Shell
SCGP

ConocoPhillips
E-Gas

Fuel Gas

HP
Steam

O2
Dry Coal

Slag

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ECUST Chinese technology

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Technology comparison

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Gasifier features
High carbon conversion and low oxygen/coal
consumption because of proper flow pattern in the
gasifier
Easy to scale up (like 2000-3000 ton coal/day) because
of multi-burner
High efficient of syngas primary purification section, low
process pressure lost and low fly ash i syngas(1mg/Nm3
syngas) because of Step-by-Step concept

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Siemens gasifier development

Multi-fuel gasifier accepts a
wide variety of feedstocks
(e.g., bituminous coal, subbituminous coal, lignite,
biomass and liquid wastes)
Technology development
started in mid-1970s
Major features include dry
feed, a reliable cooling screen
design, high carbon
conversion, and operating
pressure up to 40 bar

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Construction of gasification section

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Burner and feeding system

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Scaling of gasifiers

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Shell gasification technology

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Plant block diagram

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Technical features

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KBR transport gasifier

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Flow diagram - TRIG

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Reactors sections

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Comparison

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ConocoPhilips gasifier

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E-Gas (ConocoPhilips)

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GE Gasification technology

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SKAD GAZU SUROWEGO

70

Koncentracja obj., %

60

Shell
Texaco

50
40
30
20
10
0
CO

H2

CO2

H2O

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Ar+N2

H2S+COS
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Polk Power Station

Reaktor zgazowania - Texaco
Paliwo: 30-40% wgiel, 60-70% koks naftowy

Wys. konstrukcji
100 m

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Polk Station
zgazowanie + tlenownia

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GASIFIER
STRUCTURE
COAL
SILOS

AERIAL PHOTO

SLURRY PREPARATION
SULFURIC ACID PLANT

OXYGEN PLANT

HRSG

YOU ARE HERE

UNIT 3 CT UNIT 2 CT

1 CT
STEAM UNIT
TURBINE

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

CONTROL
ADMINISTRATION

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Zero emisson power plant

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Engineering Scope of Work

Design Engineering

Detailed Process Modeling

Heat and Material Balances
Process Flow Diagrams
Facility General Arrangement
Equipment Sizing
Utility Summary

Economic Analysis
Investment cost
Operating cost
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Capital cost comparison

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Efficiency comparison

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Cost of electricity comparison

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